Friday, January 11, 2013

Three Kurdish activists murdered in Paris in likely sabotage of negotiations with Ankara

The victims (Kurdistan Tribune)
Three Kurdish activists, all them women, were murdered at the Kurdistan Information Center of Paris, repeatedly shot in the head in what seems a well planned attack. The victims are Sakine Cansiz, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Fidan Dogan and Leyla Söylemez.

Naturally all eyes have looked at Turkey, if not the directly the government, who was allegedly trying to open negotiations with imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, maybe elements of the Turkish Army, such as those involved in the all-NATO "behind the lines" terrorist network known generally as Gladio (Italian name in fact), or in Turkey, as Ergenekon

The fact that the Ankara government quickly proclaimed their innocence and suggested that it'd be an internal PKK feud settling (something most unusual). According to the agency news collected by the Kurdish Institute Foundation:

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday the slayings bore the hallmarks of an internal feud, noting that the victims appeared to have given the killer or killers access to the centre.

"The place was protected not by one lock but many coded locks," Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as telling reporters. "Those three people opened it (the door). I do not assume they would open it to people they didn't know."
Of course it is not impossible (rather likely) that the Turkish police has informants inside the Kurdish networks and/or that one of the three activists was lax about whom they let in (maybe a "friend" they thought they could trust but nope). 

I don't trust the quick denial by Ankara, nor I see any good reason to suspect Kurdish internal settlements. It is possible that a Kurdish individual was used by Ergenekon or the Islamists however.

Personally my strongest suspicion goes to the Islamists because these are more inter-ethnic and because they are likely to be more motivated to act against liberated women who chose the kalashnikov and the pen before the kitchen and the veil. The PKK is full of such brave women because it is almost the only space where women can be free in the oppressiveness of traditional Islamic society. At least that's what I've read in first person from a "Sryian" Kurd guerilla (from memory): my father put it very clear to me: either you marry or you join the PKK

The only sensible doubt is if the murder was executed by orders of Ankara or independently. The quick denial of Erdogan, especially his blaming of internal Kurdish feuds, without even considering other options, rather suggests that he is guilty.

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